Thursday, 2 February 2012

"Datuk Seri Najib Razak today issued an open warning to would-be demonstrators, saying that the paramilitary People’s Volunteer Corps (RELA) was ready to defend the country from turmoil. Speaking in front of an estimated 20,000 Rela members here, the prime minister pledged his administration’s commitment to look after the interests and welfare of the corps.

“When the chips are down, RELA will be with this government to defend the country. Do not cause havoc in this country because the 2.8 million RELA members will not stand idly by and watch the country descend into chaos,” he said to a chorus of approval from the audience." Malaysian Insider 28/01/2012.

Firstly, assuming Najib has been quoted correctly, 2.8 million RELA members constitute more than 10% of the population of Malaysia!

Wow, that's an incredible statistic by any standard, is it not?

We need 2.8 million RELA members to monitor 2 million illegal immigrants, and possibly snoop on Iranian drug kingpins and their Malaysian mules, not to mention the Nigerian con artistes who have made Malaysia their lovely home away from home due to some very compliant on the spot visa issuing officers at KLIA and the Malaysian High Commission in Abuja?

I wonder, I just wonder if we employ 2.8 million police personnel in Malaysia?

Answer: After googling, it would appear that as of 2007, the police force numbered 150,000 with plans to increase it by 60,000. So, we can now safely assume that number is about 200,000 police officers vs 2.8 million RELA members. Does this make sense to anyone?

And you can bet your bottom dollar that with UMNO and Najibs' NEP preferred policy of quantity over quality, the vast majority of RELA members will be SPM Grade 3 or 4 achievers or less.

Ours is one of the few countries in the world where failure and mediocrity is repeatedly rewarded with largesse and riches financed by mugging the taxpayers continuously.

More than that, we have a combined Army, Navy and Air Force headcount of about 200,000. So, WTF is going on PM Najib? Are you, like Hitler and his "Brown Shirts', trying to create your own 2.8 million strong paramilitary army, answerable only to you and UMNO, thereby bypassing the authority of our King and the Genereral, Admirals and Wing Commanders?

Your own little cosy Nasty Nazi Club? This is Federalism gone berserk and the Treasury being looted.

Next, let's do some simple arithmetic.

Assuming each RELA member is paid an average allowance (RELA members are not entitled to any salary) of only $300 per month, that amounts to:

a. $840,000,000 or $840 million per month, OR

b. $10,080,000,000 or about $10 BILLION per year!!!!

And Najib just gave them a 50% increase in their allowance rate from $4 per hour to $6 per hour.

This means the cost to the Malaysian Taxpayer will rise to $1.26 BILLION per month or $15.12 BILLION per year!!!! This is what will bankrupt our Economy!

I have worked on average figures. Surely there are senior RELA officers who earn more, which will push the financial burden up even further.

Where is the money coming from and really going to?

Can anyone confirm if a humongous printing press contract was recently awarded to an UMNO/Najib croney?

So, how and what should we read into this latest posturing from our flip-flopping/ U-turning Prime Minister?

Firstly, "When the chips are down, RELA will be with this government to defend the country. Do not cause havoc in this country because the 2.8 million RELA members will not stand idly by and watch the country descend into chaos," is a clear threat aimed at stifling opposition to the Police State that Najib is intent on creating, if it has not already been achieved.

Let's be very, very clear. RELA is not Constitutionally empowered to defend the country. That is the role of the Army. You don't engage rank baton wielding amateurs to defend us against another improbable invasion by Indonesia or Japan.

Assuming electoral reforms are not put in place before GE 13, then Bersih 3.0 is a looming reality. Of course, Bersih 3.0 organizers will apply to the police to hold their rally under the Peaceful Assembly Act and the police will respond kindly and positively and say, yes, go ahead, you can hold in Gong Badak Stadium in Terengganu in 2020, provided Perkasa and UMNO can have their opposing rallies in KLCC. So, caring, evenhanded and totally objective will our IGP be.

Either way, UMNO and Najib will lose as they did locally and internationally vis-a-vis Bersih 2.0 and the Anwar Ibrahim persecution, trial and innocent verdict. Because Najib misread the sign and tidal wave of our times and exercised pathetically poor, but predictable, discretion.

So, Najib thinks that his sabre rattling and exhortation of all these SPM Grade 3 holders will put real fear in the hearts of Malaysians? Once again he's behaving like a school playground bully, displaying the IQ and the mental equivalence of Quasimodo's hump, and being spineless about it as well.

And we ain't buying it. Not today. Worse dictators and despots have issued worse threats. We shall not be moved by the demented, craven and cowardly ravings and threats of this "economy transforming" con artiste and urban terrorist of the 3rd kind, i.e. the one we all laugh about and would piss on if he came within 5 feet of our shadows. No Prime Minister worth his salt anywhere would behave in this thuggish, unsophisticated fashion. Adat Istiadat? He hasn't a clue!